Defective product removing device for box making machine and box making machine

ABSTRACT

There is provided a defective product removing device for a box macking machine that removes a sheet material as a defective product from a manufacturing line for manufacturing a box by processing the sheet material, the defective product removing device including: a quality determining device for determining the quality of the sheet material based on a predetermined inspection result with respect to the sheet material conveyed in the manufacturing line; a defective product removing portion for removing the sheet material of which a surface is subjected to creasing processing and slotting and which is not folded yet from the manufacturing line; and a sorting device for operating the defective product removing portion with respect to the sheet material determined as a defective product by the quality determining device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a National Phase of International ApplicationNumber PCT/JP2011/071126, filed Sep. 15, 2011, and claims priority fromJapanese Application Number 2010-222718, filed Sep. 30, 2010.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a defective product removing device fora box macking machine that detects and removes a defective product whilemanufacturing a flat cardboard box and a box macking machine thatincludes the same.

BACKGROUND

A general box macking machine manufactures a box (cardboard box) byprocessing a sheet material (for example, a cardboard sheet), andincludes a feeder unit, a printing portion, a delivery unit, a diecutting portion, a folding portion, and a counter ejector. The feederunit sends the cardboard sheets stacked on a table one by one at apredetermined speed to the printing portion. The printing portionincludes a printing unit, and performs printing on the cardboard sheet.The delivery unit forms a creasing as a folding line on the printedcardboard sheet and processes a slot as a flap or a glue margin pieceremaining to glue thereon. The die cutting portion forms a hand hole inthe cardboard sheet provided with the creasing, the slot, and the gluemargin piece remaining to glue thereon. The folding portion manufacturesa flat cardboard box in a manner such that glue is applied to the gluemargin piece remaining to glue thereon while moving the cardboard sheetprovided with the creasing, the slot, the glue margin piece remaining toglue thereon, and the hand hole, the cardboard sheet is folded along thecreasing, and the glue margin piece remaining to glue thereon is bonded.Then, the counter ejector stacks the cardboard box which is formed byfolding and gluing the cardboard sheet and sorts and discharges apredetermined number of cardboard boxes in a batch.

Incidentally, a defective product may occur in the cardboard box whichis manufactured by the box macking machine during the manufacturingoperation. As the failure content, for example, there are a feedingfailure in the feeder unit, a printing failure in the printing portion,a defective slotting position in the delivery unit, a defective diecutting position in the die cutting portion, and a defective gluingposition or the defective bonding position in the folding portion.Therefore, a technique is proposed which detects various defects andremoves the cardboard sheet or the cardboard box determined as adefective product from the manufacturing line for the cardboard box, andthe technique is disclosed in, for example, Patent Literature below.

The stacking device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes a stockportion which is provided at the downstream side of a folder gluer thatforms a flat box by folding and gluing both ends of a panel whileconveying a blank, and the stock portion stacks a predetermined numberof boxes carried out from the folder gluer and conveys the stacked boxesto the downstream side. A defective box removing device is providedbetween the folder gluer and the stock portion, and the defective boxremoving device is operated based on a defect signal input to acontroller so as to remove the defective box from the manufacturingline. Further, in a defective product removing device of a box mackingmachine disclosed in Patent Literature 2, a defective product removingportion is disposed between a folding portion and a counter ejector anda sorting device is provided so as to discharge a cardboard boxdetermined to have a bonding failure. Here, the cardboard box as thedefective product is taken out from the predetermined number ofcardboard boxes sorted in a batch by the counter ejector.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No.2006-069034

Patent Literature 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No.2009-078462

SUMMARY Technical Problem

In the box macking machine disclosed in Patent Literatures above, thedefective box removing device is disposed between the folder gluer(folding portion) and the stock portion (counter ejector), and thecardboard box as the defective product is taken out therefrom. In thiscase, the cardboard box as the defective product is separated from theline that conveys the cardboard box as the good product through theconveying belt movement operation and the like. Incidentally, since thecardboard box as the defective product to be removed is folded andbonded by glue, the cardboard box has a complicated shape. Accordingly,there are problems that the cardboard box is not easily handled and isnot easily removed from the conveying line for the cardboard box as thegood product. Further, even in the cardboard box having the feedingfailure, the printing failure, the defective slotting position, and thelike, the cardboard box is folded and bonded after gluing, is determinedas the defective product, and is removed from the conveying line.Accordingly, there is a problem that the working efficiency is not gooddue to an increase in the number of the useless operations.

The invention is made in view of the above-described problems, and it isan object of the invention to provide a defective product removingdevice for a box macking machine and a box macking machine capable ofappropriately removing a sheet material as a defective product andimproving the working efficiency.

Solution to Problem

According to a defective product removing device of the presentinvention in order to achieve the object, there is provided a defectiveproduct removing device for a box macking machine that removes a sheetmaterial as a defective product from a manufacturing line formanufacturing a box by processing the sheet material, the defectiveproduct removing device for the box macking machine including: a qualitydetermining device that determines the quality of the sheet materialbased on a predetermined inspection result with respect to the sheetmaterial conveyed in the manufacturing line; a defective productremoving portion that removes the sheet material of which a surface issubjected to creasing processing and slotting and which is not foldedyet from the manufacturing line; and a sorting device that operates thedefective product removing portion with respect to the sheet materialdetermined as a defective product by the quality determining device.

Accordingly, the quality determining device determines the quality ofthe sheet material in the manufacturing line, and when the sortingdevice operates the defective product removing portion with respect tothe sheet material determined as the defective product by the qualitydetermining device, the sheet material of which the surface is subjectedto the creasing processing and the slotting is removed from themanufacturing line before the sheet material is folded. In this case,since the defective product which has a simple shape and is not foldedis removed from the manufacturing line, the defective product removingoperation may be appropriately performed. Further, since the sheetmaterial as the defective product is removed without being folded, theworking efficiency may be improved without performing the uselessoperation.

According to the defective product removing device of the presentinvention, the defective product removing portion removes the sheetmaterial from the manufacturing line before adhering is performed on anadhering portion of the sheet material.

Accordingly, since the sheet material as the defective product isremoved from the manufacturing line by the defective product removingportion before the adhering is performed on the adhering portion of thesheet material, an adhesive adhering to the adhering portion does notadversely influence the operation of the defective product removingportion, and the workability may be improved.

According to the defective product removing device of the presentinvention, the defective product removing portion removes the sheetmaterial which is subjected to adhering at an adhering portion of thesheet material and is not folded yet from the manufacturing line.

Accordingly, since the sheet material is removed from the manufacturingline by the defective product removing portion in a state where theadhering is performed on the adhering portion of the sheet material andthe folding is not performed on the sheet material, it is possible toperform a defect inspection with respect to the adhering of the sheetmaterial using an adhesive, and hence to improve the product quality.

According to the defective product removing device of the presentinvention, the quality determining device performs at least onedetermination of a feeding failure, a printing failure, a defectiveslotting position, a defective die cutting position, and a gluingfailure with respect to the sheet material.

Accordingly, it is possible to detect most of defects of the sheetmaterial and hence to improve the product quality.

According to a box macking machine of the present invention, there isprovided a box macking machine including: a feeder unit that supplies asheet material; a printing portion that performs printing on the sheetmaterial; a delivery unit that performs creasing processing and slottingon a surface of the sheet material; a folding portion that forms a boxby folding the sheet material and bonding the ends thereof to eachother; a counter ejector that stacks the box while counting the numberthereof and discharges the box every predetermined number; a qualitydetermining device which determines the quality of the sheet materialbased on a predetermined inspection result with respect to the sheetmaterial; a defective product removing portion that removes the sheetmaterial of which a surface is subjected to creasing processing andslotting and which is not folded yet from the manufacturing line;

and a sorting device that operates the defective product removingportion with respect to the sheet material determined as a defectiveproduct by the quality determining device.

Accordingly, the sheet material from the feeder unit is subjected to theprinting in the printing portion, is subjected to the creasingprocessing and the slotting in the delivery unit, and is subjected tothe folding and the end bonding in the folding portion so as to form thebox. Then, when the boxes are counted and stacked in the counterejector, the sheet material determined as the defective product by thequality determining device is not conveyed to the folding portion and isremoved by the defective product removing portion. In this case, sincethe defective product which has a simple shape and is not folded isremoved from the manufacturing line, the defective product removingoperation may be appropriately performed. Further, since the sheetmaterial as the defective product is removed without being folded, theworking efficiency may be improved without performing the uselessoperation.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the defective product removing device and the box mackingmachine of the invention, since the sheet material determined as thedefective product is removed from the manufacturing line after thecreasing processing and the slotting are performed thereon, the sheetmaterial as the defective product may be appropriately removed and theworking efficiency may be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a box mackingmachine according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a defectiveproduct removing device which is applied to the box macking machine ofthe first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cardboard sheet before processing isperformed on the cardboard sheet;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cardboard sheet after creasingprocessing and slotting are performed on the cardboard sheet;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the cardboardsheet is being folded;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cardboard box which is folded andbonded;

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a defectiveproduct removing device of a box macking machine according to a secondembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a defectiveproduct removing device of a box macking machine according to a thirdembodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, referring to the accompanying drawings, exemplaryembodiments of a defective product removing device for a box mackingmachine and the box macking machine according to the invention will bedescribed in detail. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to theembodiment, and when there are a plurality of embodiments, therespective embodiments may be combined with each other.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a box mackingmachine according to a first embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is aschematic configuration diagram illustrating a defective productremoving device which is applied to the box macking machine of the firstembodiment, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cardboard sheet beforeprocessing is performed on the cardboard sheet, FIG. 4 is a perspectiveview of the cardboard sheet after creasing processing and slotting areperformed on the cardboard sheet, FIG. 5 is a perspective viewillustrating a state where the cardboard sheet is being folded, and FIG.6 is a perspective view of a cardboard box which is folded and bonded.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the box macking machine of the firstembodiment manufactures a cardboard box (box) B by processing acardboard sheet (sheet material) S. The box macking machine includes afeeder unit 11, a printing portion 21, a delivery unit 31, a die cuttingportion 41, a defective product removing portion 51, a folding portion61, and a counter ejector 71 which are arranged so as to form a linearshape in a direction D in which the cardboard sheet S and the cardboardbox B are conveyed.

The feeder unit 11 sends the cardboard sheets S one by one at apredetermined speed to the printing portion 21. The feeder unit 11includes a table 12, a front stopper 13, a supply roller 14, asuctioning device 15, and a feeding roller 16. The table 12 places theplurality of cardboard sheets S thereon in a stackable manner and issupported in an elevatable manner. The front stopper 13 may position thefront end positions of the cardboard sheets S stacked on the table 12and a gap is ensured between the lower end and the table 12 so that onecardboard sheet S may pass therethrough. A plurality of the supplyrollers 14 are arranged so as to correspond to the table 12 in thedirection D in which the cardboard sheet S is conveyed, and may send thetable 12 at the lowest position in the plurality of stacked cardboardsheets S when the table 12 is lowered. The suctioning device 15 suctionsthe stacked cardboard sheets S toward the downside, that is, toward thetable 12 or the supply roller 14. The feeding roller 16 may supply thecardboard sheet S which is sent by the supply roller 14 to the printingportion 21.

The printing portion 21 performs multi-color printing (in theembodiment, four-color printing) on the surface of the cardboard sheetS. The printing portion 21 includes four printing units 21A, 21B, 21C,and 21D which are arranged in series and may perform printing on thesurface of the cardboard sheet S using four ink colors. The respectiveprinting units 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D substantially have the sameconfiguration, and each includes a printing cylinder 22, an ink supplyroll (anilox roll) 23, an ink chamber 24, and a receiving roll 25. Theprinting cylinder 22 has a printing plate 26 attached to the outerperiphery thereof and is provided so as to be rotatable. The ink supplyroll 23 is disposed so as to face the printing plate 26 in the vicinityof the printing cylinder 22 and is provided so as to be rotatable. Theink chamber 24 stores an ink therein and is provided in the vicinity ofthe ink supply roll 23. The receiving roll 25 conveys the cardboardsheet while applying a predetermined printing pressure thereto in amanner such that the cardboard sheet S is nipped between the receivingroll and the printing cylinder 22, and is provided so as to be rotatablewhile facing the lower side of the printing cylinder 22. Furthermore,although it is not illustrated in the drawings, each of the printingunits 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D is provided with a pair of upper and lowersending rolls provided at the front and rear sides thereof.

The delivery unit 31 performs both creasing processing and slotting onthe cardboard sheet S. The delivery unit 31 includes a first creasingroll 32, a second creasing roll 33, a slitter knife 34, and a slotterknife 35. A plurality of (in the embodiment, four) first creasing rolls32 are formed in a circular shape, are arranged at a predeterminedinterval in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction D inwhich the cardboard sheet S is conveyed, and are rotatable by a drivingdevice (not illustrated). A plurality of (in the embodiment, four)second creasing rolls 33 are formed in a circular shape, are arranged ata predetermined interval in the horizontal direction perpendicular tothe direction D in which the cardboard sheet S is conveyed, and arerotatable by a driving device (not illustrated). In this case, the firstcreasing roll 32 performs creasing processing on the surface (uppersurface) of the cardboard sheet S, the second creasing roll 33 performscreasing processing on the surface (upper surface) of the cardboardsheet S as in the first creasing roll 32, and receiving rolls 36 and 37are provided at the lower and upper positions facing the respectivecreasing rolls 32 and 33 so as to be rotatable in a synchronized manner.

The slitter knife 34 and the slotter knife 35 are formed in a circularshape, are arranged as many as a plurality of numbers (in theembodiment, five) at a predetermined interval in the horizontaldirection perpendicular to the direction D in which the cardboard sheetS is conveyed, and are rotatable by a driving device (not illustrated).The slitter knife 34 is provided as many as one so as to correspond tothe ends of the conveyed cardboard sheet S in the width direction andmay cut the ends of the cardboard sheet S in the width direction.Meanwhile, the slotter knives 35 are provided as many as four so as tocorrespond to predetermined positions of the conveyed cardboard sheet Sin the width direction and may perform slotting at a predeterminedposition in the cardboard sheet S. In this case, the slitter knife 34and the slotter knives 35 are provided so that a receiving roll 38 isprovided at the facing lower position thereof so as to be rotatable in asynchronized manner.

The die cutting portion 41 performs hand hole die cutting on thecardboard sheet S. The die cutting portion 41 includes a pair of feedingpieces 42, an anvil cylinder 43, and a knife cylinder 44. The feedingpiece 42 conveys the cardboard sheet S while nipping the cardboard sheetfrom the upper and lower sides thereof, and is provided so as to berotatable. The anvil cylinder 43 and the knife cylinder 44 arerespectively formed in a circular shape and are rotatable by a drivingdevice (not illustrated) so as to be rotatable in a synchronized manner.In this case, the anvil cylinder 43 has an anvil formed on the outerperipheral portion thereof, and the knife cylinder 44 has a knife and adie formed at a predetermined position in the outer peripheral portionthereof.

The defective product removing portion 51 removes a defective productfrom the line of manufacturing the cardboard sheet S (cardboard box B)when there is the defective product in the cardboard sheet S which issupplied from the feeder unit 11, is subjected to printing by theprinting portion 21, is subjected to the creasing processing and theslotting by the delivery unit 31, and is subjected to the die cutting bythe die cutting portion 41. Although the defective product removingportion 51 is described in detail below, the defective product removingportion constitutes a part of a defective product removing device of theinvention and the operation thereof may be controlled by a controldevice 100.

The folding portion 61 forms the flat cardboard box B in a manner suchthat the cardboard sheet S is folded while being moved in the conveyingdirection D and both ends thereof in the width direction are bonded toeach other. The folding portion 61 includes an upper conveying belt 62,lower conveying belts 63 and 64, and a molding device 65. The upperconveying belt 62 and the lower conveying belts 63 and 64 convey thecardboard sheet S and the cardboard box B while nipping them from theupper and lower sides thereof. The molding device 65 includes a pair ofleft and right molding belts, and folds the respective ends of thecardboard sheet S in the width direction while being bent downward bythe molding belt. Further, as the folding portion 61, a gluing device 66is provided between the die cutting portion 41 and the defective productremoving portion 51. The gluing device 66 includes a glue gun anddischarges glue at a predetermined timing, thereby performing gluing ata predetermined position in the cardboard sheet S.

The counter ejector 71 stacks the cardboard boxes B while counting thenumber thereof, sorts a predetermined number of arranged cardboardboxes, and discharges the cardboard boxes. The counter ejector 71includes a hopper device 72. The hopper device 72 includes an elevator73 on which the cardboard box B is stacked and which is movable up anddown, and the elevator 73 is provided with a front stopper and an angleadjusting plate (not illustrated) as a shape adjusting device.Furthermore, a discharging conveyor 74 is provided below the hopperdevice 72.

Here, in the box macking machine of the above-described firstembodiment, an operation of manufacturing the cardboard box B from thecardboard sheet S will be described based on FIG. 1 and FIGS. 3 to 6.

In the box macking machine of the first embodiment, as illustrated inFIG. 3, the cardboard sheet S is formed by gluing a corrugated core 303between a bottom liner 301 and a liner 302. Two folding lines 311 and312 are formed on the cardboard sheet S at the front step of the boxmacking machine. The folding lines 311 and 312 bend the flap whenassembling the cardboard box B made in the box macking machine later.The cardboard sheets S are stacked on the table 12 of the feeder unit 11as illustrated in FIG. 1.

In the feeder unit 11, the plurality of cardboard sheets S which arestacked on the table 12 are first positioned by the front stopper 13 andthen the table 12 is lowered, thereby sending the cardboard sheet Swhich is present at the lowermost position by the plurality of supplyrollers 14. Then, the cardboard sheet S is supplied from a predeterminedside to the printing portion 21 by the pair of feeding rollers 16.

In each of the printing units 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D of the printingportion 21, when an ink is supplied from the ink chamber 24 to thesurface of the ink supply roll 23 and the printing cylinder 22 and theink supply roll 23 rotate, the ink on the surface of the ink supply roll23 is transferred to the printing plate 26. Then, when the cardboardsheet S is conveyed between the printing cylinder 22 and the receivingroll 25, the cardboard sheet S is nipped between the printing plate 26and the receiving roll 25 so that a printing pressure is applied to thecardboard sheet S, thereby printing an image on the surface. The printedcardboard sheet S is conveyed to the delivery unit 31 by the sendingroll.

In the delivery unit 31, first, creasings 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, and326 are formed on the surface of the cardboard sheet S, that is, thebottom liner 301 as illustrated in FIG. 4 when the cardboard sheet Spasses through the first creasing roll 32. Further, the creasings 322,323, 324, and 325 are formed again on the surface of the cardboard sheetS, that is, the bottom liner 301 as in the first creasing roll 32 whenthe cardboard sheet S passes through the second creasing roll 33. Next,when the cardboard sheet S having the creasings 322, 323, 324, and 325formed thereon passes through the slitter knife 34, the end of thecardboard sheet S is cut at a cutting position 321. Furthermore, theposition of the end 326 is not cut, but remains as the cardboard sheetmaterial. Further, when the cardboard sheet S passes through the slotterknife 35, slots 331, 332, and 333 and a glue margin piece 334 remainingto glue thereon are formed at the positions of the creasings 322, 323,324, and 325. Then, the cardboard sheet S which has the slots 331, 332,and 333 and the glue margin piece 334 remaining to glue thereon formedat the positions of the creasings 322, 323, 324, and 325 is conveyed tothe die cutting portion 41.

In the die cutting portion 41, when the cardboard sheet S passes betweenthe anvil cylinder 43 and the knife cylinder 44, hand holes 341 and 342are formed. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the cardboard sheet S havingthe hand holes 341 and 342 formed therein is conveyed to the defectiveproduct removing portion 51 after applying glue to the glue margin piece334 which remains to glue thereon by the gluing device 66.

In the defective product removing portion 51, the determination on thedefective product is performed for each position of the cardboard sheetS which is supplied from the feeder unit 11, is subjected to theprinting by the printing portion 21, is subjected to the creasingprocessing and the slotting by the delivery unit 31, and is subjected tothe die cutting by the die cutting portion 41, and when the cardboardsheet S is the defective product, the cardboard sheet S which isdetermined as the defective product is removed from the manufacturingline.

In the folding portion 61, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the cardboard sheetS is folded downward about the creasings 322 and 324 by the moldingdevice 65 while being moved in the conveying direction D by the upperconveying belt 62 and the lower conveying belts 63 and 64. When thecardboard sheet is folded by almost 180°, the folding force isstrengthened, the glue margin piece 334 remaining to glue thereon andthe end of the cardboard sheet S overlapping the glue margin piece 334remaining to glue thereon adhere to each other in a pressing state, andboth ends of the cardboard sheet S are bonded to each other, therebyobtaining the cardboard box B as illustrated in FIG. 6. At this time,two gaps 351 are formed at the bonding positions of the cardboard box B.Then, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the cardboard box B is conveyed to thecounter ejector 71.

In the counter ejector 71, the cardboard box B which is detected as agood product is sent to the hopper device 72. The cardboard box B whichis sent to the hopper device 72 abuts against the front stopper at thefront end thereof in the conveying direction D, and is stacked on theelevator 73 while being arranged by the angle adjusting plate. Then,when a predetermined number of cardboard boxes B are stacked on theelevator 73, the elevator 73 is lowered, so that the predeterminednumber of cardboard boxes B are discharged as one batch by thedischarging conveyor 74 and are sent to the rear step of the box mackingmachine.

Hereinafter, the defective product removing device which is used in thebox macking machine of the above-described first embodiment will bedescribed in detail. The defective product removing device of the firstembodiment removes the cardboard sheet S as the defective product fromthe manufacturing line which processes the cardboard sheet S andmanufactures the cardboard box B. The defective product removing deviceincludes a quality determining device 101, the defective productremoving portion 51, and a sorting device 102, and in the embodiment,the control device 100 includes the quality determining device 101 andthe sorting device 102.

The quality determining device 101 determines the quality of thecardboard sheet S based on the inspection result of the detection deviceby detecting, for example, a poor quality caused by a position failureand the like with respect to the cardboard sheet S which is conveyed inthe manufacturing line. In this case, the quality determining device 101determines the quality of the cardboard sheet S based on thedeterminations on the feeding failure in the feeder unit 11, theprinting failure in the printing portion 21, the defective slottingposition in the delivery unit 31, the defective die cutting position inthe die cutting portion 41, and the gluing failure in the gluing device66, and may determine at least one determination necessary among therespective determinations. Further, the quality determining device 101does not perform the determination on the defective bonding positionwith respect to the cardboard sheet S which is folded by the foldingportion 61. Furthermore, the detecting device includes a positionsensor, an image sensor, a capacitance type sensor, and the like so asto inspect the poor quality.

Specifically, a position sensor 111 which detects the position of theconveyed cardboard sheet S is provided at the side sending the cardboardsheet S in the feeder unit 11 of the manufacturing line. The positionsensor 111 is, for example, a pair of left and right phototubes disposedat both sides of the cardboard sheet S in the width direction, anddetects the inclination of the conveyed cardboard sheet S in thehorizontal direction. The detection result of the position sensor 111 isoutput to the control device 100, and the quality determining device 101determines the feeding failure of the cardboard sheet S in the feederunit 11 by comparing the inclination of the cardboard sheet S in thehorizontal direction with the predetermined reference value.

In the manufacturing line, an image sensor 112 which detects the imageprinted on the conveyed cardboard sheet S is provided at the sidesending the cardboard sheet S in the printing portion 21. The imagesensor 112 is, for example, a camera and an image processing devicewhich are disposed above the cardboard sheet S, and detects theposition, the density (shading), and the dimming of the image printed onthe conveyed cardboard sheet S. The detection result of the image sensor112 is output to the control device 100, and the quality determiningdevice 101 determines the printing failure of the cardboard sheet S inthe printing portion 21 by comparing the position, the density, and thedimming of the image printed on the cardboard sheet S with thepredetermined reference values.

In the manufacturing line, the delivery unit 31 also uses theabove-described position sensor 111 as the position sensor which detectsthe conveying position of the supplied cardboard sheet S. In this case,the control device 100 calculates the conveying position of thecardboard sheet S in consideration of the conveying distance (conveyingtime) from the feeder unit 11 to the delivery unit 31. Further, thefirst creasing roll 32, the second creasing roll 33, the slitter knife34, and the slotter knife 35 which constitute the delivery unit 31 maybe driven by a delivery unit driving device 114, and the driving of thedelivery unit driving device 114 may be controlled by the control device100. Accordingly, the quality determining device 101 determines thedefective slotting position in the delivery unit 31 by comparing theconveying position of the cardboard sheet S with the rotation phases ofthe slitter knife 34 and the slotter knife 35 caused by the deliveryunit driving device 114.

In the manufacturing line, the die cutting portion 41 also uses theabove-described position sensor 111 as the position sensor which detectsthe conveying position of the supplied cardboard sheet S. In this case,the control device 100 calculates the conveying position of thecardboard sheet S in consideration of the conveying distance (conveyingtime) from the feeder unit 11 to the die cutting portion 41. Further,the anvil cylinder 43 and the knife cylinder 44 which constitute the diecutting portion 41 may be driven by a die cutting portion driving device116, and the driving of the driving device 116 may be controlled by thecontrol device 100. Accordingly, the quality determining device 101determines the defective die cutting position in the die cutting portion41 by comparing the conveying position of the cardboard sheet S with therotation phases of the anvil cylinder 43 and the knife cylinder 44caused by the die cutting portion driving device 116.

In the manufacturing line, a capacitance type sensor 117 which detectsthe position or the amount of the glue applied to the conveyed cardboardsheet S is provided at the downstream side of the gluing device 66. Thecapacitance type sensor 117 detects the position or the amount of theglue applied to the conveyed cardboard sheet S as the distributionthereof. The detection result of the capacitance type sensor 117 isoutput to the control device 100, and the quality determining device 101determines the gluing failure of the cardboard sheet S in the gluingdevice 66 by comparing the position or the amount of the glue applied tothe cardboard sheet S with the predetermined reference value.

Furthermore, the cardboard sheet S in which the glue is applied to apredetermined position by the gluing device 66 is folded in the foldingportion 61 and both ends are bonded to each other, thereby forming thecardboard box B. Then, the cardboard box B is sequentially stacked inthe counter ejector 71. In this case, when the folding portion 61 justfolds the ends of the cardboard sheet S so as to adhere to each otherand the cardboard sheet is sent from the folding portion 61 to thecounter ejector 71 without drying the glue, there is a concern that theadhering position between the ends in the cardboard sheet S may bedeviated from each other.

For this reason, it is not possible to determine whether the cardboardbox B which is manufactured by folding the cardboard sheet S through thefolding portion 61 is a good product or a defective product. Forexample, when the bonding position in the cardboard box B is detected bythe position sensor and the bonding position is compared with thereference value so as to determine the bonding failure, there is aconcern that the bonding position may be deviated when the cardboard boxis sent to the counter ejector 71 even when it is determined that thebonding is satisfactory. On the contrary, even when it is determinedthat the bonding failure occurs in the cardboard box B, the cardboardbox may be stacked on the hopper device 72 of the counter ejector 71 andthe defective bonding position may be satisfactorily corrected by thefront stopper and the angle adjusting plate of the shape adjustingdevice provided in the elevator 73.

Accordingly, in the embodiment, since the cardboard sheet is folded bythe folding portion 61 and both ends are bonded to each other, thedetermination on the defective bonding position is not performed on thecardboard box B. For this reason, in the description below, thedefective product removing portion 51 is disposed at the upstream sidein the direction D in which the cardboard sheet S is conveyed inrelation to the folding portion 61, and the cardboard sheet S as thedefective product without the bonding failure is removed before thecardboard sheet is folded by the folding portion 61.

The defective product removing portion 51 removes the cardboard sheet Sof which the surface is subjected to the creasing processing and theslotting and which is not folded yet from the manufacturing line. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, a conveying belt 121 is an endless belt, and iswound around a driving roller 122 and a plurality of supporting rollers123 in a suspended state so that the cardboard sheet S is supported andconveyed on the upper surface thereof. A pair of upper and lower guidingrollers 124 are disposed at the upstream side of the conveying belt 121,and the gluing device 66 and the capacitance type sensor 117 aredisposed between the guiding roller 124 and the conveying belt 121. Inthe embodiment, the gluing device 66 includes a glue gun 125 and asupport 126, and may discharge glue to the glue margin piece 334remaining to glue thereon of the cardboard sheet S by controlling theglue gun 125. In this case, the gluing device 66 may be formed by agluing roll instead of the glue gun 125.

The conveying belt 121 includes a conveying portion 121 a which issubstantially horizontal (in the embodiment, slightly inclined upward)and a discharging portion 121 b which is inclined downward from theconveying portion 121 a, and the upper conveying belt 62 and the lowerconveying belt 63 of the folding portion 61 are disposed at thedownstream side of the discharging portion 121 b. In this case, theconveying portion 121 a of the conveying belt 121 and the respectiveconveying belts 62 and 63 of the folding portion 61 are substantiallyarranged in a linear shape, and the cardboard sheet S may be conveyedfrom the defective product removing portion 51 to the folding portion61.

A discharging belt 127 and a defective product receiving casing 128 aredisposed below the discharging portion 121 b of the conveying belt 121.The discharging belt 127 is disposed so as to be inclined downward, thebase end thereof is disposed below the discharging portion 121 b so asto overlap each other in the up and down direction, and the front endthereof is positioned above the defective product receiving casing 128.Further, a rejecting roller 129 is disposed so as to be positioned abovethe discharging portion 121 b of the conveying belt 121 and is supportedby a support lever 130 so as to be movable upward and downward, and thesupport lever 130 may be tilted by a driving device 131.

Accordingly, when the rejecting roller 129 is present at the liftingposition indicated by the solid line of FIG. 2 through the support lever130 by the driving device 131, the cardboard sheet S may be conveyed tothe folding portion 61 by the conveying belt 121. Meanwhile, when therejecting roller 129 is present at the lowering position indicated bythe two-dotted chain line of FIG. 2 through the support lever 130 by thedriving device 131, the cardboard sheet S may be discharged to thedefective product receiving casing 128 by the discharging belt 127 whilethe front end thereof is pressed downward by the rejecting roller 129.

The sorting device 102 operates the defective product removing portion51 with respect to the cardboard sheet S which is determined as thedefective product by the quality determining device 101. Specifically,when the cardboard sheet S which is determined as the defective productdue to at least one inspection item based on the result of variousinspections executed by the quality determining device 101 reaches thedefective product removing portion 51, the sorting device 102 operatesthe defective product removing portion 51, so that the cardboard sheet Swhich is determined as the defective product is removed from themanufacturing line and is discharged to the defective product receivingcasing 128.

Specifically, the sorting device 102 operates the rejecting roller 129through the support lever 130 by the driving device 131 so as to removethe cardboard sheet S determined as the defective product from themanufacturing line.

In this case, the defective product removing portion 51 is disposed atthe downstream side of the gluing device 66, the gluing operation isperformed on the glue margin piece 334 remaining to glue thereon of thecardboard sheet S by the gluing device 66, and then the gluing failureof the cardboard sheet S is determined. Then, the defective productremoving portion 51 removes the cardboard sheet S as the defectiveproduct from the manufacturing line before the cardboard sheet is foldedby the folding portion 61.

Here, an operation of the defective product removing device of theabove-described first embodiment will be described.

In the defective product removing device of the first embodiment, asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the position sensor 111 detects theposition of the cardboard sheet S when the feeder unit 11 supplies thecardboard sheet S one by one to the printing portion 21, and outputs thedetection result to the control device 100. Then, the qualitydetermining device 101 determines the feeding failure of the cardboardsheet S by comparing the inclination of the cardboard sheet S in thehorizontal direction calculated from the detection result with thereference value. That is, the quality determining device 101 determinesthat the feeding failure occurs when the inclination of the conveyedcardboard sheet S is not included in the reference region set by thereference value.

Subsequently, when the printing portion 21 supplies the printedcardboard sheet S to the delivery unit 31, the image sensor 112 detectsthe image printed on the cardboard sheet S and outputs the detectionresult to the control device 100. Then, the quality determining device101 determines the printing failure of the cardboard sheet S bycomparing the position, the density (shading), and the dimming of theimage from the detection result with the reference values. That is, whenthe position or the density of the image of the conveyed cardboard sheetS are not included in the reference region set by the reference value,the quality determining device 101 determines that the printing failureoccurs in the cardboard sheet S.

In the delivery unit 31, the position sensor 111 detects the conveyingposition of the cardboard sheet S and outputs the detection result tothe control device 100. Further, the delivery unit driving device 114may rotationally drive the respective knives 34 and 35, and the rotationphases are output to the control device 100. Then, the qualitydetermining device 101 determines the defective slotting position of thecardboard sheet S by comparing the conveying position of the cardboardsheet S with the rotation phases of the respective knives 34 and 35.That is, when the processing position set by the rotation phases of therespective knives 34 and 35 are not present at the appropriate positionin the conveying position of the cardboard sheet S, the qualitydetermining device 101 determines that the defective slotting positionoccurs in the cardboard sheet S.

In the die cutting portion 41, the position sensor 111 detects theconveying position of the cardboard sheet S and outputs the detectionresult to the control device 100. Further, the die cutting portiondriving device 116 may rotationally drive the respective cylinders 43and 44, and the rotation phase is output to the control device 100.Then, the quality determining device 101 determines the defective diecutting position of the cardboard sheet S by comparing the conveyingposition of the cardboard sheet S with the rotation phases of therespective cylinders 43 and 44. That is, when the processing positionset by the rotation phases of the respective cylinders 43 and 44 is notpresent at the appropriate position in the conveying position of thecardboard sheet S, the quality determining device 101 determines thatthe cardboard sheet S has the defective die cutting position.

When the gluing device 66 applies glue to the glue margin piece 334remaining to glue thereon of the cardboard sheet S, the capacitance typesensor 117 detects the gluing position or amount from the capacitance(moisture content) of the glue applied to the cardboard sheet S andoutputs the detection result to the control device 100. Then, thequality determining device 101 determines the gluing failure of thecardboard sheet S by comparing the gluing position or amount from thedetection result with the reference value. That is, when the gluingposition or amount of the conveyed cardboard sheet S is not included inthe reference region set from the reference value, the qualitydetermining device 101 determines that the gluing failure occurs in thecardboard sheet S.

The control device 100 stores the quality determination result of thecardboard sheet S by the feeder unit 11, the printing portion 21, thedelivery unit 31, the die cutting portion 41, and the gluing device 66,and when the cardboard sheet S which is determined as the defectiveproduct is conveyed to the defective product removing portion 51, thesorting device 102 operates the defective product removing portion 51and removes the cardboard sheet

S as the defective product from the manufacturing line.

That is, the control device 100 (sorting device 102) normally stops therejecting roller 129 at the lifting position by the driving device 131in the defective product removing portion 51 and conveys the cardboardsheet S as the good product from the conveying belt 121 to the positionbetween the upper and lower conveying belts 62 and 63 of the foldingportion 61 when the cardboard sheet S determined as the good product isconveyed.

Meanwhile, when the cardboard sheet S determined as the defectiveproduct by the feeder unit 11, the printing portion 21, the deliveryunit 31, the die cutting portion 41, and the gluing device 66 reachesthe defective product removing portion 51, the control device 100(sorting device 102) moves the rejecting roller 129 to the loweringposition by the driving device 131, so that the front end of thecardboard sheet S moving on the conveying belt 121 is pressed downwardby the rejecting roller 129 and the cardboard sheet is transferred tothe discharging belt 127. For this reason, the cardboard sheet S as thedefective product is not transferred from the conveying belt 121 to thefolding portion 61, and is discharged from the conveying belt 121 to thedefective product receiving casing 128 through the discharging belt 127.

In this way, in the defective product removing device of the box mackingmachine of the first embodiment, the manufacturing line of the cardboardbox B is provided with the quality determining device 101 which performsthe quality determination by performing a predetermined inspection onthe conveyed cardboard sheet S, the defective product removing portion51 which removes the cardboard sheet S of which the surface is subjectedto the creasing processing and the slotting from the manufacturing line,and the sorting device 102 which operates the defective product removingportion 51 with respect to the cardboard sheet S determined as thedefective product by the quality determining device 101.

Accordingly, the quality determining device 101 performs the qualitydetermination by inspecting the cardboard sheet S, and when the sortingdevice 102 operates the defective product removing portion 51 withrespect to the cardboard sheet S determined as the defective product bythe quality determining device 101, the cardboard sheet S of which thesurface is subjected to the creasing processing and the slotting andwhich is determined as the defective product is removed from themanufacturing line. In this case, the quality determining device 101does not perform the determination of the defective bonding position onthe folded cardboard sheet S.

In this case, since the cardboard sheet S is not folded by the foldingportion 61 and the shape thereof is a simple flat shape, the cardboardsheet S as the defective product with a simple shape is removed from themanufacturing line, and hence the defective product removing operationmay be appropriately performed. That is, when the cardboard box B isfolded into two parts by the folding portion 61 and the two parts arebonded to each other, the thickness thereof becomes twice or more thethickness of the cardboard sheet S and many gaps are present at thefront and rear surfaces thereof. Accordingly, there is a concern that aconveying failure may occur when removing the cardboard box from themanufacturing line. Further, since the cardboard sheet S as thedefective product is removed from the manufacturing line before thecardboard sheet is folded by the folding portion 61, the cardboard sheetS as the defective product may be removed without being folded by thefolding portion 61, and hence the working efficiency may be improvedwithout performing a useless operation.

Further, in the defective product removing device of the box mackingmachine of the first embodiment, the defective product removing portion51 removes the cardboard sheet S of which the glue margin piece 334remaining to glue thereon is glued by the gluing device 66 and is notfolded from the manufacturing line. Accordingly, since the cardboardsheet S of which the glue margin piece 334 remaining to glue thereon isglued and is not folded may be removed from the manufacturing line, thegluing failure of the cardboard sheet S may be inspected and hence theproduct quality may be improved.

Further, in the defective product removing device of the box mackingmachine of the first embodiment, the quality determining device 101determines at least one of the feeding failure, the printing failure,the defective slotting position, the defective die cutting position, andthe gluing failure with respect to the cardboard sheet S. Accordingly,most of failures of the cardboard sheet S may be detected, and hence theproduct quality may be improved.

Further, in the defective product removing device of the box mackingmachine of the first embodiment, the quality determining device 101 maynot determine the defective bonding position with respect to the foldedcardboard sheet S. Accordingly, since the defective bonding position inthe cardboard sheet S changes by the conveying step after the folding,the determination of the defective bonding position herein is notperformed, and hence the workability may be improved by removing theunnecessary operation.

Further, in the defective product removing device of the box mackingmachine of the first embodiment, as the defective product removingportion 51, there are provided the conveying belt 121 which conveys thecardboard sheet S by supporting the cardboard sheet on the upper surfacethereof, the discharging belt 127 and the defective product receivingcasing 128 which are disposed below the conveying belt 121, and therejecting roller 129 which is tilted by the driving device 131.Accordingly, when the cardboard sheet S determined as the defectiveproduct reaches the defective product removing portion 51, the rejectingroller 129 is lowered by the driving device 131 so that the cardboardsheet S on the conveying belt 121 is pressed downward and is dischargedto the defective product receiving casing 128 through the dischargingbelt 127. With such a simple configuration, the cardboard sheet S as thedefective product on the manufacturing line may be easily removed.Further, the conveying belt 121 of the defective product removingportion 51 supports the lower surface of the cardboard sheet S andconveys the cardboard sheet to the folding portion 61 or the defectiveproduct receiving casing 128. Accordingly, the cardboard sheet S may beappropriately conveyed without the contact of the upper surface of theglued cardboard sheet S.

Further, in the box macking machine of the first embodiment, the feederunit 11, the printing portion 21, the delivery unit 31, the die cuttingportion 41, the folding portion 61, and the counter ejector 71 areprovided. Further, the defective product removing device is providedbetween the die cutting portion 41 and the folding portion 61 so as toremove the cardboard sheet S as the defective product without conveyingthe cardboard sheet to the folding portion 61.

Accordingly, the cardboard sheet S from the feeder unit 11 is printed bythe printing portion 21, is subjected to the creasing processing and theslotting by the delivery unit 31, is subjected to the die cutting by thedie cutting portion 41, is subjected to the folding by the foldingportion 61, and the ends thereof are bonded, thereby forming thecardboard box B. When the cardboard boxes B are stacked while beingcounted by the counter ejector 71, the cardboard sheet S determined asthe defective product is removed by the defective product removingdevice without being conveyed to the folding portion 61. As a result,the defective product removing operation may be appropriately performed,and the cardboard sheet S as the defective product may be removedwithout being folded, thereby improving the working efficiency withoutperforming the useless operation.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a defectiveproduct removing device of a box macking machine according to a secondembodiment of the invention. Furthermore, the same reference sign willbe given to the member having the same function as that of theabove-described embodiment and the detailed description thereof will notbe repeated.

In the defective product removing device of the box macking machineaccording to the second embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7, adefective product removing portion 201 removes the cardboard sheet S ofwhich the surface is subjected to the creasing processing and theslotting and which is not folded from the manufacturing line. That is,an upper conveying belt 202 is an endless perforated belt, and aplurality of the upper conveying belts are provided at a predeterminedinterval in the width direction of the cardboard sheet S and are woundaround a driving roller 203 and a supporting roller 204. The upperconveying belt 202 is wound around the supporting roller 204 and thedriving roller 203 in a suspended state, and a suctioning device 205 isdisposed above the lower moving belt. Further, a lower conveying belt206 is an endless belt, and a plurality of lower conveying belts areprovided at a predetermined interval in the width direction of thecardboard sheet S so as to face the lower side of the upper conveyingbelt 202 and are wound around a pair of supporting rollers 207 in asuspended state. The cardboard sheet S is conveyed between the upperconveying belt 202 and the lower conveying belt 206 while beingsuctioned to the suctioning device 205. Furthermore, it is desirablethat the distance (gap) L from the downstream end of the suctioningdevice 205 to the inlet of the folding portion 61 be ½ or more of theminimum sheet passing length of the box macking machine.

The upper conveying belt 202 is disposed so as to be continuous to theupper conveying belt 62 and the lower conveying belt 63 in the foldingportion 61 in the substantially horizontal state. The upper conveyingbelt 202 and the respective conveying belts 62 and 63 of the foldingportion 61 are substantially arranged in a linear shape, so that thecardboard sheet S may be conveyed from the defective product removingportion 201 to the folding portion 61.

The discharging belt 127 and the defective product receiving casing 128are arranged so as to be positioned at the lower side of the downstreamend of the upper conveying belt 202. Further, the lower conveying belt206 is shorter than the upper conveying belt 202, and the dischargingbelt 127 faces the downstream side of the upper conveying belt 202 witha gap therebetween. The upper conveying belt 202 is positioned at thedownstream side, a rejecting lever 208 is disposed so as to be rotatableupward and downward, and the rejecting lever 208 may be rotated downwardby a driving device 209 in relation to the upper conveying belt 202. Inthis case, a plurality of the rejecting levers 208 are arranged betweenthe gaps of the plurality of upper conveying belts 202, and are arrangedso as not to interfere with the respective upper conveying belts 202.

Accordingly, when the rejecting lever 208 is present at the liftingposition indicated by the solid line of FIG. 7 by the driving device209, the cardboard sheet S may be conveyed to the folding portion 61while being suctioned to the lower surface of the upper conveying belt202. Meanwhile, when the rejecting lever 208 is present at the loweringposition indicated by the two-dotted chain line of FIG. 7 by the drivingdevice 209, the front end of the cardboard sheet S is pressed downwardby the rejecting lever 208 and the cardboard sheet may be discharged tothe defective product receiving casing 128 by the discharging belt 127.

In this case, the defective product removing portion 201 is disposed atthe downstream side of the gluing device 66, and determines the gluingfailure of the cardboard sheet S after performing the gluing operationon the cardboard sheet S by the gluing device 66. Then, the defectiveproduct removing portion 201 removes the cardboard sheet S as thedefective product from the manufacturing line before the cardboard sheetis folded by the folding portion 61.

The defective product removing device of the second embodiment with thisconfiguration determines the poor quality of the cardboard sheet S inthe feeder unit 11, the printing portion 21, the delivery unit 31, thedie cutting portion 41 (see FIG. 1), and the gluing device 66. Here,when the cardboard sheet S determined as the defective product reachesthe defective product removing portion 201, the front end of thecardboard sheet S moving while being suctioned to the upper conveyingbelt 202 is pressed downward by the rejecting lever 208 by moving therejecting lever 208 to the lowering position through the driving device209, so that the suctioning of the cardboard sheet to the upperconveying belt 202 is released and the cardboard sheet is transferred tothe discharging belt 127. For this reason, the cardboard sheet S as thedefective product is not transferred from the upper conveying belt 202to the folding portion 61, and is discharged from the upper conveyingbelt 202 to the defective product receiving casing 128 through thedischarging belt 127.

In the defective product removing device of the box macking machine ofthe second embodiment with this configuration, the defective productremoving portion 201 is provided between the gluing device 66 and thefolding portion 61 so as to remove the cardboard sheet S which issubjected to the creasing processing and the slotting from themanufacturing line. Accordingly, the flat cardboard sheet S which has asimple shape and is determined as the defective product is removed fromthe manufacturing line. Accordingly, the defective product removingoperation may be appropriately performed and the cardboard sheet S asthe defective product may be removed without being folded by the foldingportion 61. Thus, the working efficiency may be improved withoutperforming the useless operation.

Further, in the defective product removing device of the box mackingmachine of the second embodiment, as the defective product removingportion 201, there are provided the upper conveying belt 202 whichconveys the cardboard sheet S while the cardboard sheet is suctioned andsupported to the lower surface thereof, the discharging belt 127 and thedefective product receiving casing 128 which are disposed below theupper conveying belt 202, and the rejecting lever 208 which is tilted bythe driving device 209. Accordingly, when the cardboard sheet Sdetermined as the defective product reaches the defective productremoving portion 201, the rejecting lever 208 is lowered by the drivingdevice 209, so that the cardboard sheet S suctioned to the upperconveying belt 202 is pressed downward and is discharged to thedefective product receiving casing 128 through the discharging belt 127.With this simple configuration, the cardboard sheet S as the defectiveproduct on the manufacturing line may be easily removed. Further, sincethe upper conveying belt 202 of the defective product removing portion201 conveys the cardboard sheet S in a suctioned state, the cardboardsheet S may be easily discharged to the defective product receivingcasing 128 just by lowering the rejecting lever 208, and hence thecardboard sheet S as the defective product may be removed with highprecision.

Furthermore, the box macking machine of the embodiment may manufacturethe cardboard box B by conveying a plurality of sizes of cardboardsheets S, and may adjust the positions of various units in the deliveryunit 31, the die cutting portion 41, the folding portion 61 (gluingdevice 66), and the counter ejector 71 with respect to a change in thewidth of the cardboard sheet S. For this reason, in a case where thedefective product removing portion 201 of the second embodiment isemployed, it is desirable that the position of the upper conveying belt202 be adjusted in advance so that the gluing position (the position ofthe glue margin piece 334 remaining to glue thereon) in the cardboardsheet S and the position of the upper conveying belt 202 does not matcheach other in the width direction of the cardboard sheet S.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a defectiveproduct removing device of a box macking machine according to a thirdembodiment of the invention. Furthermore, the same reference sign willbe given to the member having the same function as that of theabove-described embodiment and the detailed description thereof will notbe repeated.

In the defective product removing device of the box macking machineaccording to the third embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 8, a defectiveproduct removing portion 251 removes the cardboard sheet S of which thesurface is subjected to the creasing processing and the slotting andwhich is not glued and folded yet from the manufacturing line. That is,the conveying belt 121 is wound around the driving roller 122 and theplurality of supporting rollers 123 in a suspended state so that thecardboard sheet S is supported and conveyed on the upper surfacethereof. The folding portion 61 is disposed at the downstream side ofthe conveying belt 121, and the gluing device 66 is disposed between theconveying belt 121 and the folding portion 61.

The discharging belt 127 and the defective product receiving casing 128are disposed below the conveying belt 121. Further, the rejecting roller129 is disposed above the conveying belt 121 and is supported by thesupport lever 130 so as to be movable upward and downward, and thesupport lever 130 may be tilted by the driving device 131. Accordingly,when the rejecting roller 129 is lowered through the support lever 130by the driving device 131, the front end of the cardboard sheet S ispressed downward by the rejecting roller 129 and the cardboard sheet isdischarged to the defective product receiving casing 128 by thedischarging belt 127.

In this case, the defective product removing portion 251 is disposed atthe upstream side of the gluing device 66, and removes the cardboardsheet S determined as the defective product from the manufacturing linebefore the cardboard sheet S is glued by the gluing device 66 and isfolded by the folding portion 61.

The defective product removing device of the third embodiment with thisconfiguration determines the poor quality of the cardboard sheet S inthe feeder unit 11, the printing portion 21, the delivery unit 31, andthe die cutting portion 41 (see FIG. 1). Here, when the cardboard sheetS determined as the defective product reaches the defective productremoving portion 251, the rejecting roller 129 is moved to the loweringposition by the driving device 131, so that the front end of thecardboard sheet S moving on the conveying belt 121 is pressed downwardby the rejecting roller 129 and the cardboard sheet is transferred tothe discharging belt 127. For this reason, the cardboard sheet S as thedefective product is not transferred from the conveying belt 121 to thegluing device 66, and is discharged from the conveying belt 121 to thedefective product receiving casing 128 through the discharging belt 127.

In the defective product removing device of the box macking machine ofthe third embodiment with this configuration, the defective productremoving portion 251 is provided between the die cutting portion 41 andthe gluing device 66 so as to remove the cardboard sheet S subjected tothe creasing processing and the slotting from the manufacturing line.Accordingly, the flat cardboard sheet S which has a simple shape and isdetermined as the defective product is removed from the manufacturingline. Accordingly, the defective product removing operation may beappropriately performed and the cardboard sheet S as the defectiveproduct may be removed without being glued by the gluing device 66 orfolded by the folding portion 61. Thus, the working efficiency may beimproved without performing the useless operation.

Further, in the defective product removing device of the box mackingmachine of the third embodiment, the defective product removing portion251 removes the cardboard sheet S which is determined as the defectiveproduct before the glue margin piece 334 remaining to glue thereon ofthe cardboard sheet S is glued from the manufacturing line. Accordingly,the glue adhering to the glue margin piece 334 remaining to glue thereondoes not adversely influence on the operation of the defective productremoving portion 251, and the workability may be improved.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the box macking machineincludes the feeder unit 11, the printing portion 21, the delivery unit31, the die cutting portion 41, the folding portion 61, the counterejector 71, and the defective product removing portions 51, 201, and251, but the die cutting portion 41 may not be provided when the handholes 341 and 342 are not needed in the cardboard sheet S. Further, inthe above-described embodiment, the gluing device 66 which glues apredetermined position of the cardboard sheet S is employed as a devicewhich attaches an adhesive to the adhering portion of the sheetmaterial. The adhesive is not limited to the glue, and for example, adouble-sided tape may be employed.

Further, in the above-described respective embodiments, the qualitydetermining device 101 inspects the cardboard sheet S so as to check thefeeding failure in the feeder unit 11, the printing failure in theprinting portion 21, the defective slotting position in the deliveryunit 31, the defective die cutting position in the die cutting portion41, and the gluing failure in the gluing device 66. However, when allinspections are not needed, only a part of the plurality of inspectionitems may be inspected.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The defective product removing device for the box macking machine andthe box macking machine according to the invention remove the sheetmaterial which is subjected to the creasing processing and the slottingfrom the manufacturing line. Accordingly, the sheet material as thedefective product may be appropriately removed and the workingefficiency may be improved. Thus, the defective product removing devicemay be also applied to any box macking machine.

1. A defective product removing device for a box macking machine thatremoves a sheet material as a defective product from a manufacturingline for manufacturing a box by processing the sheet material, thedefective product removing device comprising: a quality determiningdevice for determining the quality of the sheet material based on apredetermined inspection result with respect to the sheet materialconveyed in the manufacturing line; a defective product removing portionfor removing the sheet material of which a surface is subjected tocreasing processing and slotting and which is not folded yet from themanufacturing line; and a sorting device for operating the defectiveproduct removing portion with respect to the sheet material determinedas a defective product by the quality determining device.
 2. Thedefective product removing device according to claim 1, wherein thedefective product removing portion is configured to remove the sheetmaterial from the manufacturing line before adhering is performed on anadhering portion of the sheet material.
 3. The defective productremoving device according to claim 1, wherein the defective productremoving portion is configured to remove the sheet material which issubjected to adhering at an adhering portion of the sheet material andis not folded yet from the manufacturing line.
 4. The defective productremoving device according to claim 1, wherein the quality determiningdevice is configured to perform at least one determination of a feedingfailure, a printing failure, a defective slotting position, a defectivedie cutting position, and a gluing failure with respect to the sheetmaterial.
 5. A box macking machine comprising: a feeder unit forsupplying a sheet material; a printing portion for performing printingon the sheet material; a delivery unit for performing creasingprocessing and slotting on a surface of the sheet material; a foldingportion for forming a box by folding the sheet material and bonding theends thereof to each other; a counter ejector for stacking the box whilecounting the number thereof so as to discharge the box everypredetermined number; a quality determining device for determining thequality of the sheet material based on a predetermined inspection resultwith respect to the sheet material; a defective product removing portionfor removing the sheet material of which a surface is subjected tocreasing processing and slotting and which is not folded yet from themanufacturing line; and a sorting device for operating the defectiveproduct removing portion with respect to the sheet material determinedas a defective product by the quality determining device.
 6. Thedefective product removing device according to claim 2, wherein thequality determining device is configured to perform at least onedetermination of a feeding failure, a printing failure, a defectiveslotting position, a defective die cutting position, and a gluingfailure with respect to the sheet material.
 7. The defective productremoving device according to claim 3, wherein the quality determiningdevice is configured to perform at least one determination of a feedingfailure, a printing failure, a defective slotting position, a defectivedie cutting position, and a gluing failure with respect to the sheetmaterial.